ISLAMABAD - Days after shocking Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Senate elections and winning the seat for Yousaf Raza Gilani, former President Asif Ali Zardari has now jolted Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) supremo Nawaz Sharif – urging him to return before dreaming about toppling the government.
Later, the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s long march proposed for March 26 was postponed as the alliance awaits a final decision by the Pakistan People’s Party on the resignations issue. Zardari’s PPP was never supposed to support the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s proposal to quit the assemblies as it has to sacrifice the Sindh government in the process.
But Zardari has not given this excuse. He wants all the PDM member parties and leadership to struggle equally to get equal rewards.
The PPP supremo believes, Nawaz Sharif should not be offered the results in a platter as he himself spent 14 years in jail and was ready to go behind the bars again.
At the PDM’s crunch meeting, Zardari mixed no words in asking Nawaz Sharif to return and struggle shoulder to shoulder with him, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others. He warned, they might have to go to jail before results start pouring in.
Zardari maintained that before any long march or no-confidence motion against the PTI-led government, Nawaz Sharif must return to Pakistan.
“If Nawaz Sharif is ready for war, be it a long march or a matter of no-confidence, he must return to Pakistan. Resigning from assemblies would strengthen Prime Minister Imran Khan. The PPP prefers to fight within the parliament,” he said addressing PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz.
The former President reminded that the PPP had mobilized the whole country when late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned to the country following her exile in 1986 and 2007.
“We have to plan the long march in the same way as we did on the arrival of Benazir Bhutto in 1986 and 2007. I am not afraid of anyone, however, the struggle should be for the consolidation of democratic institutions rather than personal obstinacy,” he added.
Zardari said the PDM contested Senate elections but PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar did not show up. “Don’t make decisions that separate us,” Zardari contended.
PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari told The Nation that Zardari wanted a joint struggle which would strengthen democracy.
“We are ready to sacrifice but we don’t want a situation where the PPP is the only party that is sacrificing,” he remarked.
Bukhari said the PPP had no lust for power and was used to sitting in the opposition. “We are always there to accommodate our allies. The decisions have to be unanimous,” he said.
PPP Information Secretary Faisal Kundi said the party had a long history of struggle for democracy and will not disappoint the nation.
“The PPP is an independent party and takes decisions in consultations with the senior leaders. We will take a decision after a meeting of the CEC (Central Executive Committee),” he said.
PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman however, is convinced that any anti-government long march will not be much effective without resignations from assemblies.
In another development, PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek, Polling Agent of Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani, the PPP planned to approach the High Court of Islamabad under Writ Jurisdiction and “agitate the unjust, bias, malafide, unlawful and unconstitutional treatment meted out to Senator Yousuf Raza Gillani as well as his voters during the process of elections to the post of Chairman Senate.”
He said: “On 12-03-2021, the entire world saw the injustice which took place in the name of election of Chairman Senate. As such I, on behalf of my fellow Senator, Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, plan to challenge the unlawful rejection of seven votes validly polled in favour of Senator Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani by the then presiding officer Senator Muzzafar Hussain Shah.”
He added: “We also plan to highlight the role of the Senate Secretariat in unlawfully influencing the election of Chairman Senate which is evident from the instructions issued by it on the polling day as well as other incidents which transpired that day.”
The prominent lawyer said in order to safeguard the record “we have already filed an application for sealing of entire record of the elections held to the post of Chairman Senate including the recovered spy cameras and all materials pertaining thereto as well as all the ballot papers including the ones which were challenged.”
Naek said: “Our application for certified copies is pending before the Senate Secretariat which is closed until 17.03.2021, however as soon as the same are obtained we would knock the doors of the Court in order to obtain our lawful rights by ensuring that Senator Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani is declared elected as Chairman Senate.”